Inmate suspected in guard’s death appears in court

Inmate Miguel Contreras-Perez, suspect in a stabbing death murder charge, waived advisement Tuesday in Crowley County District Court.

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By Bette McFarren

LA Junta Tribune - La Junta, CO

By Bette McFarren

Posted Jan. 16, 2013 at 1:00 PM

By Bette McFarren

Posted Jan. 16, 2013 at 1:00 PM

An inmate waived advisement in front of Judge Michael Schiferl in Crowley County District Court Tuesday on a first-degree murder investigation.

The murder charges against Miguel Contreras-Perez stem from the stabbing death of kitchen worker and pastry chef Sgt. Mary Ricard at the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility on Sept. 24, 2012.

The courtroom was packed. The family of the victim was present.

Before the proceedings began, several items were motions by the public defender’s office. After the court was called into session by the judge, the attorney for the defense waived the preliminary advisement. The judge asked if any of the motions filed were emergencies. Advised that they were not, he reserved action until Jan. 29, also at 1:45. The motions were received by Rod Fouracre, a deputy district attorney but district attorney at the time of the event. Jim Bullock, newly elected district attorney, was also present, as were the Assistant District Attorney William Culver and other deputy district attorneys.

Among the motions filed, the appointment of the public defender’s office as the defense team was acknowledged by the judge. Two of the other motions which were acknowledged were access to the court files for the defense team and also preservation of evidence. The defense team would also like to suppress pretrial publicity. The defense team’s leaders are Kim Karn and Kimberly Chambers.